Textile dressing materials



Patented Oct. 21, 1952 2,614,984 TEXTILE DRESSING MATERIALS Edward Boaden Thomas, Spondon, near Derby,

and Horace Finningley Oxley, Charmouth, England, assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application March .5, 1949, Serial No. 79,904. In Great Britain March 17, 1948 8 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to the dressing of textile materials, especially for the purpose of facilitating their manipulation.

Various textile materials, for example natural silk and cellulose ester and ether artificial silk, have a low electrical conductivity and tend to acquire and retain electrical charges, especially while undergoing textile operations such as, for example, twisting and winding, knitting, and the working up of staple fibre yarns. Such electrification of the materials leads to great difficulties in carrying out many of the textile operations which they are normally required to undergo, as, for example, those mentioned above. Numerous agents have been proposed for application to textile materials with a view to reducing electrification, but in many cases the agents have been found to induce serious corrosion of machine parts with which they come into contact.

In the manipulation of textile materials it is also generally desirable to lubricate them so as to facilitate the operations. This is particularly the case, for example, with dry-spun cellulose acetate immediately after its production. and prior to its being wound or twisted and Wound. Again,

have the great advantage as compared with the diethylamine salts of corresponding organic ethereal sulphates in that the latter are insufficiently oil-soluble whereas the diethylamine salts of organic sulphonic acids are readily miscible with the oils used for lubricating the textile filaments. Furthermore, the diethylamine salts of organic sulphonic acids are markedly superior to other organic amine salts of organic sulphonic acids, for instance to salts with any of the methylamines, propylamines or the like, or even to salts with monoor tri-ethylamine, in respect of their anti-static properties. Thus these salts apparently represent a peak in the properties desirable for the present purpose.

The invention is of particular value in connection with textile fibres having a substantial tendency to develop and retain electrostatic charges during manipulation. These include textile fibres of cellulose acetate and other organic derivatives of cellulose as already indicated, for example of cellulose propionate, cellulose aceto -propionate, or cellulose acetobutyrate. They also include textile fibres of synthetic polyam-ides, for example the polyamides obtainable by the self-condensation of aliphatic amino carboxylic acids (e. g. epsilon-aminocaproic acid) or by condensation of diamines with dicarboxylic acids. The well known prodnot from hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid (Nylon 66") is an example of the latter. Again, natural fibres, e. g. silk, may be dressed with the diethylamine salts.

The textile fibres may be in various forms. For example, they may be in the form of continuous filaments, as in continuous filament yarns, or in the form of short fibres, i. e. staple fibres, whether as yarns, loose fibres, rovings, slivers, or other products.

Particularly valuable salts are those derived from aliphatic sulphonic acids containing more than eight carbon atoms, and especially those containing ten, twelve or more carbon atoms, where the aliphatic radicle is saturated or unsaturated. Preferably the aliphatic radiclev of the sulphonic acid is an unsubstituted saturated hydrocarbon radicle containing more than eight carbon atoms and especially ten, twelve or more carbon atoms in a straight chain arrangement. Preferred acids are cetyl and stearyl sulphonic acids, and particularly lauryl sulphonic acid. The aliphatic sulphonic acids may be produced by the reaction of an aqueous solution of the sodium salt of the corresponding aliphatic sulphate withsodium sulphite in a closed vessel at elevated temperatures, e. g. above C., and subsequent isolation of the acids.

For reducing the electrification of textile materials, e. g. materials of cellulose ester or ether, dressing according to the invention is conveniently effected by applying to the materials solutions of the salts, tor example aqueous solutions. Thus, the materials can, for example, be moistened with these solutions and thereafter dried in order to leave a deposit of the salt on the material. For instance, continuous filaments as spun may be treated with the solutions, e. g. by wick, bath, roller or spray methods, dried, if desired, as by passage through a hot chamber, and wound or twisted and wound. Continuous filament yarn in hank or package form may be immersed in the solutions, excess liquid removed by centrifuging, pressing or otherwise, and the material dried. Again, cellulose acetate or other cellulose ester or ether staple fibre may be similarly treated or sprayed with a solution of the salt; by this treatment the subsequent working up into silver, yarn or other form, may be greatly facilitated due to the reduced tendency of the dressed material to become electrified. Textile materials dressed with salts according to the present invention are found to have no substantial corrosive action on machine parts with which they contact.

As already mentioned, a particular merit of the salts described is that they are soluble in many of the oils commonly used in the lubrication of textile materials in order to facilitate the manipulation of the latter. By using as lubricant a, solution of a diethylamine salt of an organic sulphonic acid in a lubricating oil, the tendency of the material to develop electrical charges is simultaneously reduced. The lubricating oils which may be employed for this purpose are, for instance, animal or vegetable oils, e. g. coconut oil, olive oil or arachis oil and esters of polymerised and/or oxidised unsaturated fatty acids,

especially those of the monohydric alcohols, e. g. cyclohexanol or methyl cyclohexanol. An example of the last-mentioned type of lubricating -oil is the polymerised and oxidised oleic acid Lubricants comester of methyl cyclohexanol. prising mineral oils may also be used in conjunction with the salts to produce dressings in accordance with the present invention. If desired, the lubricating oil and the salt may be applied to the textile materials in separate operations,

taneous presence of a higher fatty alcohol, particularly one containing twelve or more carbon atoms, e. g. lauryl alcohol or oleyl alcohol. Other hydroxylated compounds, e. g. cyclohexanol or methylcyclohexancl, may also be present in the lubricating composition to assist in the incorporation of the salt and to modify the characteristics of the lubricant. By the use of such compounds as assistants, it is often possible to incorporate in the oil greater proportions of the salt than would otherwise be possible. A suitable lubricating and anti-static composition for cellulose acetate materials may comprise, for example, 5-10% of diethylamine lauryl sulphonate, 53-10% of methyl cyclohexanol, 5% of oleyl alcohol, 42% -3'7 of White mineral oil (medium viscosity) and 42 A -37%% of arachis oil and/or olive oil.

The invention is illustrated by the following example, the parts referred to being parts by Weight:

To a solution of 37 parts of the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid in 52 parts of methylcyclohexanol (technical mixture of isomerides) and '7 parts of lauryl alcohol is added sufiicient 'triethanolamine (about 4 parts) to render the mixture slightly alkaline. The whole is then diluted with a mixture of equal parts of white mineral oil and arachis oil until the content of the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid is about 7.5%. The resulting lubricant is then applied to dry spun cellulose acetate yarn, by means of a wick or other suitable device, at the point at which the yarn leaves the spinning cabinet. The amount of lubricant applied is 2 to 3% based on the weight of the yarn. The resulting lubricated yarn can be subjected to knitting and other textile operations without trouble arising due to development of electrostatic charges on the yarn. Further, it does not lead to corrosion of machine parts with which it comes into contact.

The diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid may be replaced by an equivalent amount of the diethylamine salt of another sulphonic acid, e. g. cetyl sulphonic acid or stearyl sulphonic acid. Again other lubricating oils may be used, for example the arachis oil may be replaced by olive oil. It is, moreover, not essential to use a sulphonic acid salt of pure diethylamine; the salts of a crude diethylamine containing a few per cent of triethylamine may be employed.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A textile dressing agent for lubricating textile materials and rendering them difficult to electriiy, said agent consisting essentially of a solution of the diethylamine salt of lauryl sul phonic acid in a lubricatin oil.

2. A textile dressing agent according to claim 1 wherein the lubricating oil is a mixture of mineral oil and vegetable oil.

3. A textile dressing agent for lubricating textile materials and rendering them difiicult to electrify, said agent consisting essentially of a solution of the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid in a mixture of substantially equal parts of mineral oil and arachis oil.

4. Textile materials dressed with the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid in sufiicient proportion to render the textile material diffi cult to electrify.

5. Textile materials dressed with a mixture of the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid with a lubricating oil the proportion of the salt being suilicient to render the materials difficult to electrify.

6. Textile materials of cellulose acetate dressed with the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid in sufiicient proportion to render the textile material difiicult to electrify.

7. Textile materials of cellulose acetate dressed with a mixture of the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid with a lubricating oil the proportion of the salt being sufiicient to render the materials diflicult to electrify.

8. Textile materials of cellulose acetate dressed with a mixture of the diethylamine salt of lauryl sulphonic acid with a lubricating oil, the latter consisting of a mixture of mineral oil and vegetable oil, the proportion of the salt being sufficient to render the materials difiicult to electrify.

EDWARD BOADEN THOMAS. HORACE FINNINGLEY OXLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are oi record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,181,890 Harris Dec. 5, 1939 2,197,930 Jackson Apr. 23, 1940 2,289,760 Dickey et al .4 July 14, 1942 2,324,199 Datin et al July 13, 1943 2,384,053 Thomas Sept. 4, 1945 

1. A TEXTILE DRESSING AGENT FOR LUBRICATING TEXTILE MATERIALS AND RENDERING THEM DIFFICULT TO ELECTRIFY, SAID AGENT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SOLUTION OF THE DIETHYLAMINE SALT OF LAURYL SULPHONIC ACID IN A LUBRICATING OIL. 